The Iowa Department of Public Safety issued a warning Tuesday about an online extortion scam that is sweeping central Iowa.

Public Safety officials said they received reports from the Des Moines metro of individuals posing as law enforcement officers who supervise Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

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Authorities said similar reports have popped up in other states, and that the scams appear to follow the same pattern:

A male victim is contacted via an online dating app or website by an alleged female. Within a few days, at the recommendation of the female, they shift from the app site to texting.

The texting changes from banter to more intimate messages and results in the exchange of nude photos and discussions of meeting in the near future.

After the male receives the nude photo from the female, the male is then called by a person claiming to be the supervisor of the Iowa ICAC Task Force. The imposter advises the female is underage and there is now child pornography on the male’s phone and the female’s father’s phone because she was using it to communicate with the male, who is referred to as the victim.

The fake ICAC supervisor then advises the male he will need to replace the father’s phone or face legal action. Later that day, the male receives a phone call from somebody posing as the father, who advises the male to send money, usually several hundred dollars, via wire transfer to replace the phone.

Authorities said the investigation has revealed that the perpetrators have used phones with out-of-state area codes. In one instance, the fake law enforcement officer even had a professional voicemail that identified the person as the ICAC supervisor with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.

Public safety officials urge anyone who believes they have fallen victim to the scam to call their local law enforcement agency and make a report.